Rescue Stories

Posted by HSSF on May 4, 2017 in Rescue Stories | Comments Off on My Rescue Story, by Wookie

I’m learning to be loved in my foster home.

“I’m one of the lucky ones. I was saved from a life of misery in an illegal puppy mill when HSSF Humane Officers rescued over 50 of us a few months ago.”

“We were kept in a dilapidated “barn” with no natural light and a stench so strong it made us feel sick and irritated our eyes. We were meant to live forever in wire cages that hurt our feet, or crates. Our puppy mill females were bred to bear as many puppies as possible for the perpetrators to profit by selling our puppies under false pretenses.”

Here I am freshly groomed and ready to play!

“After we were rescued, we (I and the other RPM’s – Recovering Puppy Millers) were all medically examined by HSSF veterinarians and treated for a wide assortment of ailments associated with puppy mill operations where making money is most important. Then the best thing happened – we were placed in actual homes to be trained, socialized, and to learn what life in a loving home can be.”

“Here’s hoping my other RPM buddies and I get our forever homes soon!”

Truly amazing… that’s what you are. After our newsletter telling you of Pee Wee’s plight, we received oodles of messages wishing him good health and a speedy recovery. Those who couldn’t give him a home, reached into their pockets and made a donation to help with the costs of his medical care.

But the very best gift of all, was the offer from a wonderful horse owner to provide Pee Wee with a forever home. Yep, we are so fortunate to be surrounded by truly amazing folks. Thank you for reaching out to help us and a special thanks from Pee Wee.

Meanwhile, he’s is making a remarkable recovery, gaining weight with each passing day.

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(Original story)

Pee Wee – just skin and bones.

In this season of giving and good cheer, we’re reaching out to our friends nearby to ask you to consider giving a home to a very special horse. Pee Wee is a grey dappled gelding about 24 years old. He is 16.2hh and currently weighs about 888 pounds – he should weigh around 1,100 pounds. We’re sure Pee Wee was once someone’s noble mount whose only fault that couldn’t be overcome, was getting old.

The good news is our veterinarian is confident that with proper nutrition, hoof care and dental work, Pee Wee will once again radiate good health. But just to confirm his exam, we’re waiting for the results of blood work.

HSSF will pay the costs to rehabilitate Pee Wee IF we have a forever home for him. That’s right, we will be with you every step of Pee Wee’s journey until he makes a full recovery. There are few better satisfactions in this world than helping an animal in miserable condition such as Pee Wee, recover from the horrible neglect he has endured.

Please contact us if you are able to give Pee Wee a new home; if unable, please share this message with your circle of friends. Together, we will find him a special place.

Posted by HSSF on Mar 15, 2012 in Rescue Stories | Comments Off on A Lot of Sheep and Goats

The Grace Foundation was a huge help to us in the Fall of 2011 when they offered a large pasture where we could keep close to 67 goats and sheep obtained after the Loomis raid and the Penryn sanctuary closing. Early Spring 2012, Grace called us because they needed the space and there were a few of the harder to place goats and sheep left which had not been adopted.

So in getting ready to take them back, we hired Joe M. to transport them for us. When we met at the pasture, he showed a lot of personal interest in them. He mentioned he had property and a couple of guardian dogs and a barn — he just needed some sheep and goats! He first offered to take a few in one pasture, then when Grace Foundation said hey we have these other ones, are you interested in them? Joe’s eyes just lit up — he was so thrilled they were friendly. He told his Jack Russel Terrier that he had new friends, and loaded up the lot of them bound for his place! When we made a follow-up call to Joe, he reported that they were all doing great in his pasture and making a serious dent in the available grass.

Three pigs were relinquished to us when a sanctuary closed in 2011. One was adopted and went to the coast and there were two left – Sheila and Petunia. Honey Cowan at Sea Horse Ranch said that she would give them a home. She already had a little potbellied pig named CiCi and wanted some companions for her. Honey was very bonded with CiCi – she had a little dog house with a heating blanket in there and she would cover CiCi up at night & keep her warm. Well CiCi was just a tiny potbelly pig who was fed normal amounts of potbelly pig food unlike our huge ones who were had been fed humungous amounts of potbelly pig food before we got them.

The day we transported them was challenging to say the least! The girls would be going to the vet before arriving at Sea Horse Ranch — Sheila’s tusks needed trimming and they both were to have their tonails done. So Curt Ransom and Rosemary built a ramp onto the truck and the two of them had the one 150-175 pound pig in a dog crate, just inching it up the ramp to get it into the truck. Finally they got one in but couldn’t fit the other crate into the truck, so they drove one pig over to the vet while they went back and got the next one loaded up.

When the first pig was done with her “Mani-Pedi”, Rosemary and Curt drove her over to Sea Horse. Honey had 4 workers ready to help and they all inched the pig back out of the trucks. They put her in with CiCi, then off they went to pick up the other pig. As they were all trying to get this huge pig out of the truck, Honey fell down and it was an amazing thing — she hit the ground and bounced up and we all said “are you OK?” and Honey said “˜Oh, I’m fine” and she just brushed herself off and got back to work!

In the mean time, Petunia had kicked CiCi out of her house and got in there under the heating lamp. Poor CiCi was just standing out there looking very lost and Honey said “This won’t do, Oh no, this won’t do”; So we blocked off the two new pigs into a different area and Honey was happy that CiCi could have her house back. Within a few days, Honey had a house built for the other two – and they have matching dinnerware and everything.

Cassie Reeves from AAARF (Auburn Area Animal Rescue Foundation) telephoned us at about 11:00 AM early in February as she had received a call from a woman who was inundated with chihuahuas and needed some help to get her numbers down to something she could manage. Cassie asked Rosemary if she would go out with her to take a look at the property and see if everything was sanitary and in good condition for animals to be living in. So they met at noon at the property and first set about making an assessment. They found that the property was clean and for the number of dogs living there, it was in relatively good condition.

AAARF wanted to take all of the chihuahuas that were not spayed and neutered, so Rosemary and Cassie then loaded up 23 of the dogs, including several litters of puppies and took them to AAARF. In the event that AAARF would not have enough foster homes and room at the shelter for all of the pups, they called Mike Winters at Animal Control who said they would be able to take some of them if needed. They then went back into the property and verified that the eight dogs remaining were spayed and neutered.

It turned out that AAARF did in fact have enough foster volunteers to take in these dogs, so confident that they were in good hands, Rosemary called Animal Control and thanked them for their assistance. AAARF had all of the chis spayed/neutered and vaccinated, and within two months had found homes for all of them.

The Humane Society of the Sierra Foothills seized 19 sheep, 46 goats, 14 dogs, 5 pigs and a Cockatiel from a property in Loomis on July 12, 2011. The animals were in horrible living conditions – penned up in close quarters, forced to live in their own feces, with little ventilation, no water and putrid food to eat.

The investigation began after a tip from a Craigslist observer who became suspicious after noticing that dogs were continually being offered for sale from the same people over a two year period. When this person met the animal seller with the intent to purchase a dog, it was obvious to them that the animal was sick, so the person called HSSF.

One of our investigators then made arrangements with the animal seller to meet on their property and witnessed first hand the inhumane living conditions. We immediately seized all the animals which were being abused. We had a post seizure hearing and the officer said the seizure was justified and that prosecution of the animal owners would be initiated.